Birchbox

There are millions of beauty products in the world, and it’s an expensive endeavor to always buy the ones you’re interested in to see whether you like them. Enter the subscription box—a convenient way to get sample sizes of a variety of products each month so that you can experiment without committing to buying the full size.

Birchbox is a beauty subscription box designed to introduce you to new brands and products. Every month, you’ll receive a box with 4–6 items, which may include skincare, hair, makeup, and fragrance samples.

You can customize your beauty profile to reflect your beauty interests and physical appearance so that the company can customize what you receive. You’ll answer questions about your skin, hair, and personal style. All subscribers have the chance to customize their boxes each month by choosing specific samples or adding full-sized products to their orders.

Are Birchbox deliveries worth the monthly price? How does this company compare to other beauty box brands? Read our analysis to determine whether it’s worthwhile to subscribe.

What Comes Inside a Birchbox?

Each month, you’ll receive a personalized beauty box in the mail with deluxe-sized samples. This means you should be able to get multiple uses out of each product, though your order may occasionally include single-use products as well, like facemasks.

Below are the products that one My Subscription Addiction reviewer received in November and December 2019. Note that you likely would have received different samples if you had subscribed during these same months.

November 2019

• Too Cool for School All-In-One Egg Mellow Cream Hand Lotion (.35 oz)
• JUARA Coconut Illipe Hand & Nail Balm (0.27 oz)
• Marcelle Micellar Water for Normal Skin Cleanser (1.7 oz)
• Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle Leave-in Hair Spritz (1 oz)
• Jane Ireedale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Pink (sample size)
• MAC Strobe Skin Cream in Pinklite (.2 oz)

Total estimated value: $18.86

December 2019

• Arrow Boost Color Enhancing Lip Balm in Berry Busy
• Briogeo Be Gentle Be Kind Shampoo and Conditioner Set (1oz each)
• Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Lengthening Mascara in Beyond Black (.1oz)
• Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel (.17oz)
• ModelCo Highlighting Shimmer Whip in Cosmo (.24 oz)

Total estimated value: $39.81

Included in each box will also be information about the products with instructions on how to use them.

About Birchbox Collections

If you aren’t interested in a monthly subscription or the surprise factor of not knowing what you’re going to receive, it’s also possible to purchase BirchBox Collection boxes, which are curated around themes and usually sold in limited qualities.

• Limited Edition Boxes: Based around themes like “Ready for the Gym” and “Birchbox Favorites,” these boxes cost between $40–$60 each and have estimated values between $100–$200.

• Discovery Kits: These kits are designed to introduce you to products based around specific treatment areas. Options include the “Guide to Skincare Ingredients Kit,” “Lip Care Essentials Set,” “Complete Sleep Kit,” and more. They range from $15–$35 with estimated values between $55-$120. Note that you can see exactly what products come in these kits before ordering them.

What Does Birchbox Cost?

The price of your monthly Birchbox depends on how many months you commit to at one time.

Each box will be shipped out by the 10th of each month and should arrive within ten business days. You will need to cancel your order before then if you don’t want to receive that month’s box.

Each of these plans renews automatically unless you cancel it beforehand. Birchbox won’t reimburse you for any unused months upon cancellation.

If you like your samples, you can purchase their full-sized equivalents directly from Birchbox.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

Eleven Birchbox customers left reviews on HighYa, for a combined rating of 1.6-stars. Reviews on ConsumerAffairs are similar, averaging 2.6-stars after more than 100.

Here’s a summary of the main points made in these reviews:

Questionable Sign-Up Process

Several people took issue with Birchbox’s signup process, as it required them to disclose their annual household income. Subscribers didn’t understand why this information was relevant and resented sharing it.

Problems with Delivery and Customer Service

Another common complaint dealt with customer service difficulties. Some reviewers shared that they continued to receive monthly boxes after they thought they canceled their account, while others never received their orders to begin with.

Unsatisfactory Product Quality

A significant percentage of Birchbark customers were left unsatisfied with their product samples. Many thought they were too small to test out the products thoroughly and shared that they often seemed like they came out of a bargain bin.

Others took issue that their requests in their beauty profile were rarely honored and that most of what they received was generic or completely wrong for their coloring. In one case, a subscriber complained that they received the same samples three months in a row.

Difficulty with Customization

A few Birchbox customers resented the customization process, saying that the items they wanted to choose were always out of stock before they could request them online, even if they logged onto the website immediately after getting an email about it.

Happy with Orders

Despite these negative reviews, many Birchbox customers are happy with their subscription. Some shared that they had subscribed for years and loved the opportunity to experiment with so many different types of products.

Key Takeaways:

Birchbox is hit-or-miss or most subscribers. You’re more likely to like it if you don’t mind receiving lots of small samples, some of which probably wouldn’t be your first choice when shopping otherwise.

Birchbox vs. Ipsy and Allure Beauty Box

Don’t limit yourself to Birchbox when looking at beauty box subscription services. Two other popular options include Ipsy and the Allure Beauty Box, which we compared to Birchbox in the following chart.

Of these three brands, Birchbox offers the least value per box, on average. That fits the trend we saw in customer reviews, as many Birchbox users mentioned that they planned to switch over to Ipsy or Allure Beauty Box.

One advantage of Birchbox is that you can purchase full-size versions of any products you like directly from the site, and the company often offers promotions to incentivize users to do so. With Ipsy and Allure Beauty Box, you’ll need to take your shopping offsite to restock.

Overall, there’s not much reason to recommend Birchbox over these other two brands. They both get better reviews and offer better value for your money.

The Bottom Line: Should You Sign Up for Birchbox?

When it comes to choosing a beauty box subscription, you want to ensure that you are getting a good value for the money you spend.

Because you won’t be picking out every product yourself like you do when shopping, there’s a good chance that you’ll receive some items you wouldn’t have chosen otherwise, which means that you need to make sure the other products you receive are worth the price.

For this reason, you might be better off skipping Birchbox and going in a different direction. Other beauty box brands, like Allure and Ipsy, either cost less, offer bigger samples or more of them, or receive higher approval ratings from customers.

You can learn more about the best beauty box subscription companies here.

If you are interested in Birchbox, consider signing up for a month-to-month membership so that you can test how much you like it before committing to a longer subscription.